1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to medical equipment and more particularly to a guard or shield for catheters.
When intravenous fluid is to be periodically injected into a patient over an extended time period, it has been the general practice to insert a cannula beneath the surface of the skin into a vein and to retain the cannula in position by adhesive tape. This simple arrangement is effective; however, problems can arise in that the adhesive tape sometimes prevent visual inspection of the puncture site and often provides inadequate retention of the cannula as the patient moves or as the nurse inserts a needle to inject other medication.
Further, the adhesive tape is irritating particularly when the patient is sensitive to the adhesive tape which causes irritation and creates considerable discomfort for the patient at the area of the intravenous catheter.
This invention provides a device which immobilizes a patient's hand and provides a transparent shield for the catheter when placed in a vein in the patient's hand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,150 issued Apr. 24, 1990 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,534 issued May 28, 1991 both for INTRAVENOUS CATHETER SHIELD AND RETAINER disclose a planar base underlying a patient's hand and forearm and secured thereto by overlapping Velcro straps extending transversely of the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,150 discloses a liftoff transparent shield covering the patient's hand and forearm and supporting the catheter tube, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,534 similarly discloses a transparent shield overlying the base of patient's hand and forearm and is hingedly connected thereto for permitting access to the catheter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,270 issued Mar. 19, 1985 to Miles for FLUID ADMINISTRATION SPLINT discloses an elongated rigid U-shaped base supporting an animal's leg and includes a cover which overlies a catheter taped to the animal's leg.
This invention is distinctive over these patents by a rigid base having integral forward and rearward upstanding side walls shielding a patient's hand and forearm. Transverse Velcro straps extending over the patients hand and fingers and attached to the base immobilizes his hand. A transparent shield is frictionally maintained in place by resiliently contacting the inner surface of the forward and rearward upstanding walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,508 issued Mar. 27, 1973 to Roberts for INFUSION GUARD AND IMMOBILIZER discloses a U-shaped channel member underlying a patient's arm and a rigid inverted U-shaped bridge spanning and removably secured to the upstanding edges of the U-shaped channel. The bridge also supports intravenous tubing and the entire unit is secured to the patient's limb by Velcro hook and eye straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,971 issued May 21, 1985 to Sorbonne for GUARD FOR VENIPUNCTURE SITE AND CATHETER RETAINER discloses a base member taped to a patient limb which supports the intravenous needle or catheter and includes a lid portion hingedly connected at one end to one end portion of the base for movement toward and away from the base, in shielding relation, with respect to the catheter position.
These two last named patents are considered examples of the state-of-the-art.